Boris Johnson’s main adviser on battling Scottish independence has departed less than a fortnight after being made the head of Downing Street’s Union unit.
Oliver Lewis, a veteran of the Vote Leave Brexit campaign, is reported to have said his position was made “untenable” by others within No 10.
Mr Lewis replaced former Scottish MP Luke Graham as head of the unit earlier in February, just months before Holyrood elections where calls for a second independence referendum will be the dominant issue.
Disunity in the Union unit. Or maybe just despair at realising how threadbare the case for it is. #indyref2 https://t.co/FCDJttbc9Y
— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) February 19, 2021
Following Mr Lewis’s departure, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: “Disunity in the Union unit. Or maybe just despair at realising how threadbare the case for it is.”
The SNP’s Westminster deputy leader Kirsten Oswald claimed Mr Johnson’s “taxpayer-funded anti-independence campaign is completely falling apart”.
“As support for independence grows, the Tories are losing advisers like rats on a sinking ship. People in Scotland have a right to determine their own future in a post-pandemic referendum. Boris Johnson knows he cannot deny democracy any more than Donald Trump.
“The issue at the election in May will be this: who has the right to decide what sort of country we should be after the pandemic – the people of Scotland or Boris Johnson? The only way to ensure Scotland’s future is in Scotland’s hands not Boris Johnson’s is with both votes SNP.”
Downing Street declined to comment on staffing matters.
Related: Brexit: Tories not happy as Sturgeon decides to keep EU flags flying
Since you are here
Since you are here, we wanted to ask for your help.
Journalism in Britain is under threat. The government is becoming increasingly authoritarian and our media is run by a handful of billionaires, most of whom reside overseas and all of them have strong political allegiances and financial motivations.
Our mission is to hold the powerful to account. It is vital that free media is allowed to exist to expose hypocrisy, corruption, wrongdoing and abuse of power. But we can't do it without you.
If you can afford to contribute a small donation to the site it will help us to continue our work in the best interests of the public. We only ask you to donate what you can afford, with an option to cancel your subscription at any point.
To donate or subscribe to The London Economic, click here.
The TLE shop is also now open, with all profits going to supporting our work.
The shop can be found here.
You can also SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER .
